RC 424 
.M13 
1891 
Copy 1 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



1891-2 




••NEV«/;rORKA 



ESTABLISHED 1868 



TWENTY-FOURTH SEASON 



STAMMERING 



ITS ORIGIN AND CURE 



BY 



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DOUGLAS McCALLUM 



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25 EAST TWENTY-FIRST STREET 
NEW YORK 



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Copyright, 1891, 

BY 

DOUGLAS McCALLUM. 



THE ALLEY PRESS, NEW YORK. 
5518 



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PREFACE 




HAVE intended in this edition not only to 

give further information regarding the 

School of the Voice and its methods, but 

to place in your hands some truthful and 

encouraging thoughts upon this serious subject. 

If you are oppressed by the troublesome habit of 
Stammering, and can find even one consoling or help- 
ful thought in the following pages, my efforts in that 
direction have not been futile. 

Our pamphlet of 1887 found so many admirers that 
a second edition was ordered printed. Even this was 
inadequate to supply the demand, and a portion has 
been re-published in the present issue, and we trust 
those who are already familiar with the few pages will 
kindly overlook their reappearance with this explana- 
tion. 

The demand for this manual, in advance of date of 
publication, has been greater than usual this season, 
and knowing it now contains matter of interest and 
value to every stammerer, I have caused a few addi- 



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PREFACE. 



tional copies to be printed. If you approve of the 
expressions herein contained, and would Hke to place 
a copy in hands of a stammerer, I will forward one to 
an address you may suggest. 

The lines are far from being complete, but in ad- 
dressing myself to several, a statement cannot be pre- 
pared to suit each one. I trust to have the privilege 
of extending my remarks in a personal interview or 
by correspondence, which should be addressed to 



DOUGLAS McCALLUM, 

25 East 2ist St., New York. 



November, 1891. 



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OUR POSITION. 



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VER since the School of the Voice became 
successful numerous persons have sought 
to imitate its methods. This has been 
plainly shown in many instances, and we 
may mention one or two as examples. 

Some years ago it was deemed advisable to place a 
modest announcement in a few reputable journals, 
and the words "do not stammer" were used in our 
card. This expression was at once copied by one of 
our followers who had just opened a school for treat- 
ing stammerers and who has since persistently used 
the same phrase in his extensive advertising through- 
out the country. While no particular importance was 
attached to this, yet it is an exemplification of the 
fact that the power to originate ideas does not extend 
very widely. 

Every successful thing is always imitated, but very 
rarely do we find an imitation to be equal to or an 
improvement upon the original. The inference is 
that if such a simple matter is appropriated by an- 



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OUR POSITION. 



Other, the second party is presumably lacking in 
originality elsewhere. 

While imitation is the sincerest flattery and speaks 
volumes for our standing, it was decided to discon- 
tinue placing our card in journals or magazines, and 
to allow the School of the Voice to stand upon its 
own merits. It is now a number of years since this 
Institution has sent out any invitations by means of 
the press, and it seems impossible for those who copy 
its methods to conduct their schools upon such a 
principle. A steadily increasing patronage has de- 
monstrated beyond doubt the footing upon which we 
stand, and justifies our claim to be the oldest and 
most safe institution for treating defective speech. 

The School of the Voice does not advertise ; that 
has long since ceased to be necessary, and besides 
being deemed unprofessional, there is a disinclination 
upon our part to be classed with persons who are 
compelled to seek patronage in such a manner. 

A year book is issued each season which is intended 
to convey a few profitable thoughts to a selected num- 
ber of friends of the Institution — nothing more. 

This little work falling into the hands of one person 
has been used by him as a text-book to cure stammer- 
ers. We are informed upon this point by several of 
his pupils, who subsequently came here to be cured. 



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OUR POSITION. 



Mr. McCallum has been in receipt of numerous 
letters of complaint from those who have attended 
other schools, and five stammerers have during the 
past month applied to him in person wishing to receive 
a cure at ais hands, after spending from three to five 
months and much money at an Institute which guar- 
anteed a cure. 

From these persons we learn that they have been 
drilled in classes by an assistant daily for several 
months, upon the same identical routine of exercises, 
the main point of which consisted of a mere opening 
and closing of forefinger and thumb with each syl- 
lable, and a strong inhalation of breath through the 
mouth before each word. It was also proved that 
there were then (October, 1891) at that Institute an 
average of twenty-five pupils, half of whom were in 
attendance for a second and third course of practice. 
A pretty record truly for an Institute which guaran- 
tees a cure and the personal attention of its founder 
to each pupil. 

A voluminous display ofreferences and testimonials 
has given some persons confidence, but when will it 
be understood that anyone possessed of but little 
principle can readily secure testimonials for an unde- 
serving object. Only after spending many hundred 
dollars of hard-earned money to no purpose have 



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OUR POSITION. 



many stammerers discovered the utter uselessness of 
an array of prominent names. 

Wliile Mr. McCallum has received and cured 
many stammerers who have been experimented upon 
by elocutionists and cheap schools, yet it is always far 
more satisfactory both to teacher and pupil to have a 
cure effected properly in the first place. Even if a 
good school should happen to cost a trifle more at 
the outset, it is cheapest in the end ; for not only is a 
case of stammering more difficult to cure after several 
failures, but the amount of money expended in many 
attempts would more than pay the cost of tuition in a 
first-class Institution. 

The instruction and practice of our School are in- 
tended entirely for those who can personally attend ; 
lessons cannot be given by mail. 

In 1873, five years after this School had been estab- 
lished, it had gained a reputation for the successful 
management of all phases of Stammering and Stutter- 
ing, which fame has been constantly extended, and 
not only in this country, but we have had pupils from 
England, South America, and West Africa. 

There should be no hesitation in deciding between 
an Institution of this nature and any of the incom- 
petent persons who make loud calls through the 
public press for pupils. 



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OUR POSITION. 



The School of the Voice has been in receipt of 
many press notices and letters from pupils in testi- 
mony of work done in their behalf, but as this is so 
well known it has been deemed needless to occupy 
space here with a reproduction of matter that could 
easily fill several large volumes. 

A visit to the Institution will prove of interest, 
however, and any particulars in way of reference, etc., 
will be furnished upon application by letter or otherwise. 

This Institution still stands alone in its plan of 
teaching each pupil separately, an arrangement of 
benefit to pupils, the value of which cannot be over- 
estimated and which has contributed largely to our 
good results in every case. 

Mr. McCallum's personal attention is given to each 
and every pupil at stated hours during entire period 
of attendance, and with a view toward thorough 
training and a perfect understanding of each case, no 
more pupils are received than can be cured in this 
manner. The item of advertising expenses is a great 
one in some schools, and they are compelled to teach 
a number of pupils in classes to economize, but the 
results to stammerers are disastrous in the extreme. 
The absence of this item in our expense account 
enables us to give pupils the benefit of separate 
instruction. 



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lO OUR POSITION. 



In 1893, in response to many requests, Mr. McCal- 
lum has decided to spend a short season in Chicago 
and will there receive a hmited number of pupils dur- 
ing their visit to the World's Fair and prior to 
opening of regular season in New York. 

It is perhaps rather early to mention this, but as a 
trip to Chicago involves some little preparation, and 
in view of two positive engagements already having 
been made, the allusion may not be out of place. 

The same plan of instruction will prevail in Chicago 
as in New York and it will be a most favorable op- 
portunity for a few pupils. Mr. McCallum is at 
liberty to correspond upon this subject at any time. 

As the requirements of our Institution grew the 
school building recently occupied in Fourteenth 
Street became inadequate, a new one being absolutely 
necessary. In addition to this the locality had 
materially altered and it was decided to select a more 
suitable neighborhood. 

The School of the Voice now occupies the hand- 
some building No. 25 East 21st St., a few doors from 
Broadway, near Madison Square. Besides possessing 
increased interior advantages, the location is most de- 
sirable ; it may be easily reached by a dozen different 
lines of cars and is in close proximity to many of the 
most enjoyable and instructive features of our city. 



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OUR POSITION. II 



As has always been our custom, there are no signs 
upon exterior of building to indicate its character. 

City pupils may reside at home and receive instruc- 
tion at our rooms, or special terms will be made where 
necessary to give the lessons at a pupil's residence. 
Mr. McCallum extends a cordial invitation to you to 
visit him between hours of lo to 12 a.m. and 2 to 4 
P.M., or outside of these hours by special appointment. 

There being no class work, pupils may be received 
at any time, but it is as well to arrange for tuitions as 
much in advance as possible for obvious reasons. 

During the last few years the time necessary for 
instruction at our hands has been materially reduced 
by constant improvements in the work, until now, 
nearing the close of our first quarter century, it rarely 
requires over three or four weeks to effect a cure. 
The daily attendance for instruction and practice 
varies from one to three hours as may be required to 
meet demands of case. 

During a recent vacation Mr. McCallum visited 
nearly every State and Territory in the country, pen- 
etrating to the far West and renewing acquaintance 
with many past pupils. He had the pleasure of find- 
ing them installed in positions of responsibility and 
trust, and truly grateful for the fluent speech which 
had enabled them to achieve success. 

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12 OUR POSITION. 



In addition to tiiis the popularity of the Institution 
was evidenced upon every hand by those who intend 
becoming pupils, several of whom came hundreds of 
miles to introduce themselves. These pleasant rela- 
tions are gratifying in the extreme and we shall en- 
deavor to deserve such recognition in future. 

A visit to Europe and a study of methods in vogue 
there has also been of interest, and while European 
schools are really very much behind in some respects, 
yet it shows an intention upon our part to leave nothing 
unsearched that can in any manner conduce to a 
stammerer's complete cure in the best manner pos- 
sible. 

One word about guaranteeing a cure. This plan is 
often used by less important institutions as a means 
to attract patronage, and in nine cases out of ten, as 
many letters in our possession will show, when a 
stammerer has made the journey of a thousand miles 
or so, it is only to discover that there really is no guar- 
antee after all, but that often the entire fee is de- 
manded in advance. This is a dishonest practice, but 
as a stammerer will often pay rather than return home, 
it is frequently remunerative to the one conducting 
the Institute or School. 

No reputable seat of learning will guarantee to 
make you a skillful lawyer or physician, or will insure 

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OUR POSITION. . 13 

to your child everything desired in way of ability. 
You know the value of such an institution and employ 
the talent found there without question. If the 
student applies himself diligently the result is certain 
to be good, but if he is characterized by lack of 
energy and ambition, or addicted to vicious habits, it 
is not a professor's fault if the time required for an 
education is longer. 

We must discriminate between any tricky system of 
curing stammering and come to regard it as a study 
of the best principles in speech and all pertaining 
thereto, and so regarding it we shall soon see that in 
instruction of a high class of any nature, no institu- 
tion or person can honestly guarantee proficiency, 
and any one who will agree to do so may at once be 
set down as being incompetent and compelled to use 
such methods to secure patronage for a system that 
would otherwise possess no attractions. 

What we can do is to show an established reputa- 
tion, what has been accomplished in the past, and to 
promise our best efforts -in your behalf, augmented 
by an experience of nearly twenty-five years of study, 
observation and practice. 

Those who attend our Institution are supposed to 
be fair-minded persons who earnestly desire to be 
cured, who will co-operate with us toward such an 



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14 OUR POSITION. 



end, and who recognize the substantial nature of the 
School and its work. 

No attempts have been made at any time to use an 
unprofessional method to secure patronage, but in- 
stead patrons will learn that the terms obtaining with 
us are far more liberal than many who aspire to share 
in our fame. 

Mr. McCallum would like to write many of these 
things in a personal letter to each and every friend of 
the Institution, but the task would be a physical im- 
possibility ; it is hoped, however, that the custom of 
annually sending a letter in this form will continue to 
find favor, leaving him time to instruct pupils and 
attend to details which may not be given here by 
personal letter. He respectfully solicits any further 
inquiries when anything in connection with the sub- 
ject will be cheerfully dwelt upon. 

It has always been a study to maintain a high stan- 
dard of excellence, and in every year of the past 
twenty-four have improvements been made. None 
of the moldy ideas of old methods are allowed to 
creep into our work ; instead, we take every advan- 
tage of modern progress in physical training and 
mental science, treating no two pupils in exactly the 
same manner, and putting into operation a most 
advanced and beneficial course of training. 



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OUR POSITION. 15 

The School of the Voice is original and at the same 
time eclectic ; has no superiors, hence fears no rivals ; 
has many imitators, yet is not approached in perfec- 
tion and thoroughness of work ; is progressive and 
yet adheres faithfully to sound principles ; is not con- 
nected in any way with any other person or system, 
and yet is charitably disposed toward any one who is 
doing good work in treating speech defects. 

In all experience with stammerers we have found 
the value of a resolute character and advised its culti- 
vation. A person of this disposition may brave and 
accomplish any undertaking, the difficulties and 
obstacles sometimes found in the way being but 
stimuli to a strong spirit. 

A stammerer wonders if he can be cured. Let him 
ask, " Has it been done by anyone ? " If the answer 
be "Yes," then away with all weak, vascillating or 
disturbing thoughts. What others have done you 
can do, and if the object to be gained is a worthy 
one, decide at once " it shall be done," not wait to see 
what some one else wilKdo or be deterred by what 
any one may say, but decide what is right and neces- 
sary and unflinchingly carry out yoiir plan. " To him 
that overcometh " there awaits a peace of mind and 
healthfulness of body that the hesitating one little 
dreams of. 



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1 6 OUR POSITION, 



What has become known in relation to habits of 
mind and body, acting and re-acting as they do one 
upon the other, has of late years thrown much light 
upon our subject of defective utterance. 

To successfully overcome the habit of stammering 
we must relieve the strained condition of mind so 
often prevalent, that anxious hesitation between dif- 
ferent or opposite determinations ; for these conflict- 
ing emotions inevitably lead to a weakening of the 
vital forces so much needed for our effort to secure 
freedom in speech. 

By careful management we can utilize the force at 
our command, and by directing it in proper channels 
prove ourselves equal to all opposing powers. 

Such a line of study is adapted more for those who 
have noticed the inroads of a speech defect upon the 
mind. In childhood we find stammering largely a 
physical affection and must treat it accordingly, but 
as maturity is approached a sensitive person usually 
appreciates his unfortunate situation and seeks to 
restrain the abnormal action in every way possible. 
The result of such efforts is a partial suppression of 
what we may call *' outward stammering," but a 
terrible increase in intensity of the inward mental 
sorrow so destructive to health and happiness. 

It is not the mere drawing of a full breath, posses- 

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OUR POSITION. 17 



sion of great vital force or will power that is needed ; 
it is more the manner in which all our forces and 
powers are controlled ; a moderate expenditure of 
force well distributed being better than an excess all 
in one place or in a wrong direction. 

It is the stern duty of everyone to emancipate him- 
self from the thraldom of an undesirable or unhealthy 
habit, and if circumstances or influences have led 
into such a condition the nobler part to play is to 
prove himself superior to circumstances and gain a 
victory over the discouraging and perplexing in- 
fluences which have caused so much discord. 

Either one thing or the other — you get control of 
the stammering or it will gain control of your whole 
being. In one case you secure self-respect, confidence, 
health, success, and all that is desirable in life, while 
in the other you remain a mere prey to an habit which 
eventually drags you down with the grasp of an 
octopus. 

It has been said that " Man is the creature of cir- 
cumstances." We must decide that the time has come 
to prove the falsity of this and make the bolder asser- 
tion that man is the master of circumstances. 

You may think that all the afflictions and embar- 
rassments of life are thrown in your way, and how 
much you could accomplish if the obstacles to 



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advancement were fewer, or if you had better oppor- 
tunities ; but as you proceed with a spirit of invincible 
determination, and make the best use of present 
chances, you will be surprised to notice that even the 
casualties of life seem to yield to a spirit that will not 
yield to them. The space clears around you, and 
what seemed an obstruction once now serves to aid in 
creating the most noble structure pictured by the 
imagination. A learned writer in dwelling upon this 
line of thought says : " Nothing can be more destruc- 
tive to vigor of action than protracted anxious fluctu- 
ation, through resolutions adopted, rejected, resumed 
and suspended." 

The heart is fretted and exhausted by being sub- 
jected to an attenuation of contrary excitements with 
the ultimate mortifying consciousness of their con- 
tributing to no end. 

To reduce this to a more simple proposition we 
may give an example of a stammerer who has at a 
stated time to ask a certain question. He rehearses 
it, wonders how he will say his sentence, and eventu- 
ally fear seizes him that he will be unequal to the 
emergency. The long, wavering deliberation and 
torture of mind has exhausted the necessary power to 
utter the simple words, and he finds himself partially 
paralyzed as it were. If he had not allowed such 



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OUR POSITION. 19 



influences to disturb him, or had turned thought into 
other channels, there might have been but little, if 
an}^, difficulty. 

It is an exploded theory that stammering lies on 
the surface and can be corrected in an hour or a day 
or two. We must be more thorough, developing the 
true and the good, the very best that can be found in 
our physical and moral nature. 

A certain amount of moral courage is an almost 
necessary factor, and the writer sincerely hopes that 
every prospective pupil of the School of the Voice 
possesses this. He would say to you that your inter- 
ests lie mainly in your own keeping ; for your acts you 
alone are responsible. Others may smile or laugh at 
what you intend doing, but let them smile and laugh, 
much good may it do them. You have something of 
greater import to attend to, and the good to result 
from your project will not be lessened because shallow 
minds are diverted. 

What would you amount to in this world, or what 
sort of a character would you develop, if you were 
dissuaded from what you knew to be a worthy pur- 
pose by the sneers of every ignorant or thoughtless 
being who crossed your path ? 

In a matured mind a speech defect seems to be a 
<:onflict between judgment and habit. The judgment 



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OUR POSITION. 



holds in low estimation what has been decreed by 
habit, until in some cases the two opposing forces 
have produced a distraction of mind of a most serious 
nature. 

This must be set right in training, the physical and 
vocal exercises being brought into harmonious rela- 
tions with the working of the mind, but if conflicting 
conditions are allowed to remain a fatal state of weak- 
ness results. A plan that would be powerful to assist 
in completely deciding, not only in regard to curing 
a habit of stammering, but also in other events of 
life, would be to place yourself in a similar position to 
Caesar's soldiers, whose leader burned the ships that 
had just brought them to land. If the judgment is 
really decided, then do something that will oblige you 
to do more, and which will compel a completion of 
your self-imposed task. 



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Stammering and Stuttering. 



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DEFINITION of these terms and wherein 
they differ is often requested, and perhaps 
the best answer was given by Aristotle 
when he said, " Stammering is the inability 
of articulating a certain letter, and Stuttering the in- 
ability of joining one syllable with another. All these 
arise from debility, for the tongue is not obedient 
to the will." This first sentence nearly covers the 
whole ground and will undoubtedly explain what is 
meant in using the different terms. /' Often they are 
used synonymously, and indeed it is hard to draw any 
line and say where the boundary is between the two, 
as they are frequently found both in the same case 
and ever changing. In this little pamphlet we shall 
endeavor to render ourselves easily understood by all, 
avoiding, wherever possible, the use of difficult ex- 
pressions, for a stammerer cannot be particularly 
benefited by our entering upon a deep study of his 
organs and giving them their long names. Although 
we are brought directly into contact with physiology, 



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such remarks as we choose to select in our work are 
framed in a manner pleasing and attractive, thus 
rendering of great interest what might otherwise be 
dry and unprofitable. A disorder, if not wholly men- 
tal, largely so, and greatly misunderstood, it has been 
too often relegated to incompetent persons for treat- 
ment, and one source of regret is that so little interest 
has been manifested on the part of responsible pro- 
fessional men, who, with means at their disposal for 
investigation and scientific research, have almost en- 
tirely ignored its existence. 

In a little essay by an English scientist upon 
"Hesitation and Errors in Speech," we find the "fol- 
lowing : 

" Thought and speech are so connected that it is 
impossible to separate them, and when a person thinks 
the pronunciation of a word, marking its peculiarities 
in his own mind, and closely examining the act, there 
will be found an impulse as it were, to move the lips 
and tongue." Upon this assertion he proceeds to 
build the hypothesis that defective speech is not only 
the result, but often the cause of mental disturbance. 
There certainly would appear to be some founda- 
tion for these statements in a few instances, and these 
complex relations form a very interesting study. Fur- 
ther on he touches on preoccupation and says. "It 



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STAMMERING AND STUTTERING. 23 

shows itself by hesitation in speech,' particularly de- 
nouncing the habit of " allowing the thoughts to 
wander uncontrolled." Behind the habit a stammerer 
often possesses of substituting words for others (and 
various devices to escape a difficult word unnoticed by 
a casual listener), his theory, which looks at the matter 
entirely from a mental standpoint, would accuse the 
thought behind it all as being in a state of disorder, 
and the remedy would accordingly be applied there. 
He does not, however, tell how this is to be done, 
merely suggesting a theory for some one else to work 
out. Upon reading this, a stammerer will probably 
ask himself wherein his own mind is at fault, and with 
good reason may he wonder, for it may be far more 
orderly and systematic than nine-tenths of those who 
are fortunate enough to be unfamiliar with Stammer- 
ing ; when he will at once ridicule the idea, and justly 
so, as an unimportant one. The essayist in question 
has indeed a very devoted attachment for insanity, 
turning almost all symptoms of speech difficulties into 
sure indications of the dethronement of reason and 
speedy impairment of mental power. This has not 
yet been observed by us, but there may be a lack of 
penetration upon our part that will eventually be re- 
moved, at which time we also may learn to class 
stammerers as prospective lunatics. 

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24 



STAMMERING AND STUTTERING. 



Perfect speech depends, it may be said, upon har- 
mony of action between certain sets of muscles or 
organs ; and until these have been disciplined by the 
pupil being taught to produce speech sounds naturally 
and automatically, as should be the case, we cannot 
look for anything like order where confusion has 
reigned so long. We are told that any action, be it 
of the mind or body, will in time become automatic ; 
and this is one of the foundation principles to be care- 
fully considered by any one seeking to cure a habit. 
The muscles, like the mind, will accustom themselves 
to working in beaten tracks — too often improper 
ones ; and a well-known fact is that the longer we 
permit them so to run, the more difficult does it be- 
come to change and direct them in proper courses. 

As a full description and history of these habits 
would occupy many pages, we choose to make but an 
allusion to some principal points that may prove of 
interest, and shall now proceed to touch upon a few 
of the supposed causes of the disorder. 



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ORIGIN OF SPEECH DEFECTS. 




ERVOUSNESS, or that condition of being 
frequently so-called, can hardly be set 
down as the cause of Stammering, for 
very good reasons, and it is sometimes 
usea as an excuse or apology in the same light as a 
person not addicted to hard work will say he has ma- 
laria. They are both very prevalent, and should be 
warded off by a thoroughly healthy code of habits, 
moral and physical — the best prescription for chronic 
ailments of this nature we can advise. But abundant 
testimony can be quoted, amply sufficient to prove, 
that although Stammering and the nerves may be inti- 
mately associated and the bonds between thought and 
audible speech inseparable, the habit cannot always be 
placed at the door of nervousness any more than a 
derangement of the nerves can be traced in every case 
to Stammering, they changing their relations to each 
other in different instances, so that no general rule 
can be laid down for all. Besides, there are so many 
different ways of Stammering. I can remember once, 



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26 ORIGIN OF SPEECH DEFECTS. 

when visiting the late Dr. Beard (who, as a noted spe- 
ciaHst in nervous diseases, was at that time preparing 
an elaborate paper for a medical board upon the sub- 
ject of Stammering, taking our pupils for examples), 
hearing him say that he " stammered with his pen ;" 
and in truth he did write a most illegible hand, often 
characteristic of men who are anxious to record fast- 
flowing thoughts. His words and sentences were 
abbreviated in somewhat the same manner as a 
stammerer's when he occasionally allows his mind to 
run faster than his speech ; and as a fluent method of 
speech depends to some extent upon an orderly and 
well-regulated mind, we can see what an assurance of 
cure rises up before us when harmony of action is 
established. 

One of the best known principles pertaining to our 
human body is that any organ is strengthened and 
grows by proper usage ; but the reverse also is true, 
viz., that the same organ's growth is discontinued, or 
diminished, as soon as it falls into disuse. A stam- 
merer is using some organ or muscle for other pur- 
poses and actions than belong to it, allowing the 
rightful owner to be thereby evicted and waste away 
for want of proper exercise — a rebellion, as it were, 
against proper authority, each successive rebellious act 
tending to confirm the spirit of insurrection until the 



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ORIGIN OF SPEECH DEFECTS. 2^ 

evil has grown beyond ordinary means of self-control. 
These incorrect habits of speech have for their 
origin an almost endless variety of causes. In one 
case it may be hereditary ; and again, caused by 
fright, disease, imitation, or careless speech ; while 
the cause of one person's stammering will be the 
means of curing another. Want of proper care in 
early training is a productive source of Stammering, 
and too often is the little one allowed to stammer 
because it " sounds so cunning." When a few years 
older, and it is deemed best to stop the cunning habit, 
it is found a serious matter indeed, be3^ond parental 
control, and to effect the desired end harsh measures 
are used on some occasions, with results disastrous to 
the child's future ; for not only does the stammering 
continue unabated, but it is greatly increased and con- 
firmed. None but the very kindest admonitions 
should be given by any one to a stammering child. A 
parent can be firm without appearing unkind or cruel, 
and cruelty to children cannot be too severely con- 
demned. In fact, there is an art in knowing just how 
to gain a child's interest ; and when it is understood, 
we may accomplish wonders in the way of securing 
obedience, at the same time filling the little one's mind 
with the most loving and happy thoughts, instead of a 
treasured-up consciousness of fear, which, when he 



•t< 



grows older, resolves itself into feelings and reflections 
of a far different nature. Finding, when too late, 
what a terrible influence such bad management in the 
nursery has exerted upon his whole life, he will, upon 
arriving at years of manhood, place the blame directly 
where it belongs, accusing the guardians of his youth 
of short-sightedness, and holding them responsible for 
much of his unhappiness and misery. Over-indulgence 
is an error the other way, and almost as dangerous to 
the child as are the severe penalties often imposed. 
The child cannot help stammering, and its affliction 
should not be placed in the list of punishable offenses, 
which in some households is much too long. As our 
aim is to co-operate with the efforts of well-meaning 
parents in preventing Stammering in children, we 
would advise them to set a good example in slow and 
deliberate speech and manner when any tendency to 
stammer is observed. Attendance at school where 
recitations are conducted before a large class, or under 
the eyes of some tyrant miscalled a teacher, who, lying 
in wait for an error as a tiger for its prey, holds capital 
punishment continually over a child's head, will be 
found to intensify the habit in almost any case. Rather 
allow a girl or boy to enjoy the fresh air and sunlight, 
playing or studying at home, than blight their whole 
lives by such an existence. The true teacher's office 



►i* 



ORIGIN OF SPEECH DEFECTS. 29 

is not to create intelligence, but to develop and bring 
into use the powers really existing within the pupil, 
showing him how to employ and turn from a destruc- 
tive channel, forces which, when properly understood, 
act as important agencies in building up and strength- 
ening both mental and physical organization. 

Cases of organic defect are extremely rare, probably 
not one in a thousand having any reason arising from 
structural malformation for Stammering ; and this 
fact leads us to assert that every one can be cured in 
greater or less time, according to the degree of prompt- 
itude with which the proper means are applied to for 
relief. 

Numerous instances are constantly being brought 
to our notice where causes can be assigned entirely 
different from any here enumerated, but complete data 
of all cases would be dry and profitless ; therefore 
we spare the perhaps unscientific reader, and merely 
allude to some of the many ideas of cure that have 
obtained at various times, but of which only a few can 
be noticed. 



►i^ 



► ^ 



■^ 



METHODS OF TREATMENT. 




LOCUTION is sometimes prescribed as a 
cure for Stammering ; but while the art of 
Elocution possesses great charms for one 
interested, and comprises many theories of 
value to us, we cannot use it extensively and discard 
everything else. In fact, although it has been specially 
studied with the end in view of finding out which, if 
any, of its elements would most benefit a stammerer, 
we are compelled to reject nearly all as useless, unless 
very differently framed and made to conform with the 
requirements of our particular profession. 

Electricity, as a cure, or part of a cure, has been, 
and is still, used ; but never, in the whole course of 
our experience, have we found it necessary to admit 
this agency. If a person needs electricity it is not 
specially for Stammering, he would need it whether he 
stammered or no, and the practice of admitting it in 
treatment must rank with the obsolete methods of 
administering secret potions, appliances, charms, or 
the barbarous operations performed by ignorant 



4* 



. • — ^ 

METHODS OF TREATMENT. 3^ 

surgeons of the middle ages, whereby various parts of 
the mouth or throat were mutilated. 

So much has been said about will-power in curing 
Stammering, that it must find a place as one of the 
agencies brought to bear in beating down its walls. 
Sometimes it may be employed successfully, and, 
again, will assist materially ; but so subtle are these 
mental influences, that will-power cannot be assigned 
a first position as an independent cure, unless it be in 
some isolated cases. 

A prominent writer says : " Mighty, it must be 
allowed, is the power of human will. That which to 
him whose will is not developed is /afe, is to him who 
has a well -fashioned will, _po7uer. The savage pros- 
trates himself powerless, prayerful and pitiable before 
the flashing lightning ; but the developed mortal lays 
hold of the lightning and makes of it a very useful ser- 
vant. To the former, lightning is a fate against which 
will is helpless ; to the latter, will is a fate against which 
lightning is helpless." At the close of this extract we 
shall find the following advice for a cheerful, contented 
frame of mind : "Well, then, is it for him who learns 
his limitation, to whom the dark horizon of necessity 
becomes the sunlit circle of duty." "Will," he says, 
" is gradually built up by successive acts of volition, a 
character being a completely fashioned will." 

^ — ■ — i -*h 



^ 1 

32 METHODS OF TREATMENT. 

Experiments, false methods, or good ones not cor- 
rectly practiced, are always productive of undesirable 
results, and should be left alone, all practice for the 
alleviation of Stammering being systematically and 
judiciously conducted — understandingly, too, with a 
full comprehension of the various laws of speech and 
articulation, with well-directed methods of applying 
them. No system of treatment should for a moment 
be considered unless its practice and exercises are 
well calculated to assist nature and act in strict har- 
mony with all her teachings. 

Pebbles in the mouth, reading with the teeth shut, 
or drawing a long breath, have been practiced largely, 
to no permanent good, more often resulting in injury 
by establishing habits equally as bad as those which 
they are intended to cure. 

The writer has received many kind words from and 
conferred with medical and other professional men 
of prominence in this city and elsewhere, and taken 
pupils to them for examination before and after treat- 
ment, when they have been pleased to flatter and 
recommend most favorably a system which could pro- 
duce such results. That a true system of cure may 
sometimes be looked upon with suspicion and doubt is 
not to be wondered at, so often have stammerers been 
misled or made victims of unprincipled charlatans 

^ ■ — — ^ 



METHODS OF TREATMENT. SS 

until all faith in even the most substantial insti- 
tution is gone. We can do none other than caution 
any one to avoid these men, who sometimes have a 
secret method, practicing one of the numerous tricks 
that never do any good ; or else they are those who 
have a few good ideas, and make great display of their 
little knowledge, but cannot put it to any practical 
use. 

It is not our intention to weary any one by quoting 
opinions and theories of no interest or benefit, the 
writers, with few exceptions, advancing ideas about 
something of which they know little or nothing, seem- 
ingly incapable of perceiving how utterly impossible it 
would be to carry out such principles. Unqualified to 
speak from actual experience, they are often found 
to be content with learned dissertations and statistics, 
embellished perhaps by some general hygienic advice, 
or a small dictionary of unpronounceable terms, the 
latter enough in themselves to bring on a spasm of 
Stammering. 

The portrayal of a few interesting features of our 
own school, and an attempt to outline its methods, are 
to follow ; and while necessarily only an outline, yet 
we trust they will be well received. 



^ 4. 



THE SCHOOL OF THE VOICE. 



-^ 




HY is a School of this kind necessary, and 

what are its objects ? " 

These questions have been lepeatedly 

asked during the past years of our labors 
in an institution of this nature — labors associated with 
an extensive range of observation, study, and practical 
experience. The necessity of such training as a stam- 
merer receives here must be apparent to any one when 
he is made aware of the great number of persons 
afflicted with the habit in this country (roughly esti- 
mated at 200,000), of whom a small proportion, possibly 
one-iifth, are ladies ; a fact that will allow us to escape 
censure for addressing these remarks more often to 
the gentlemen. 

The treatment of Stammering as followed by us has 
met with the most flattering endorsements, a reputa- 
tion due to our pride in keeping this an institution 
above reproach, a class of patronage derived, as it is, 
from the highest ranks of influence and intelligence, 
amply testifying to the standing and select character 



► "4" 



4 



' I ' ■ ^ 

THE SCHOOL OF THE VOICE. 35 

of the school and its associations, while we can point 
with pleasure to many grateful letters received from 
pupils after their return home. Undoubtedly one of 
the secrets of our success is the plan of imparting to 
each pupil individual instruction, and limiting the 
number of pupils, in order to avoid work in classes. 
The latter course was followed by us some years ago ; 
but the different aspects of the habit, together with 
widely varying ages, physical and mental constitution, 
etc., led us eventually to decide upon our present 
system as one that would do justice to the pupil and 
be satisfactory alike to pupil and teacher ; for in this 
way the characteristics and individuality of each pupil 
can receive proper study, and exercises calculated to 
produce best results may be used. It will be apparent 
that were we to form classes of our pupils, the diversity 
of ages would render it extremely difficult to pay strict 
attention to details of importance in each one. The 
instruction imparted to a class must be general, and a 
child of six cannot be expected to pursue the same 
course or be reasoned with in the same manner as an 
intelligent man or woman of twenty-five. 

Although more persons may be received when exer- 
cises are conducted in classes, still our past experience 
with this system in different vocal institutions has 
been such as to assure us that the best work can only 

^ , 4< 



HE^ 



^6 THE SCHOOL OF THE VOICE. 

be done by a thoroughly sound system of private 
lessons. Exercises of the voice may occupy a promi- 
nent part in our course, but by no means is the voice 
alone the object of our attention ; a successful attack 
upon Stammering will strike deeper, and work against 
causes underlying all that may appear on the surface. 
Physically we must, in the case of any improper action 
or habit, bring about a perfectly natural system of 
respiration and harmony of motion in the production 
of speech ; for while any confused state of things 
exists, there can be no fluent speech ; it is utterly out 
of the question for any stammerer to expect such a 
thing. 

By a system of progressive exercises, assisted and 
simplified by charts and explanations, we inaugurate 
a normal action of the breath, an easy and simple 
mode of articulation and expression, until talking 
becomes what it should be — a pleasure, instead of a 
dreaded affliction. 

Physical gymnastics are introduced, with the assist- 
ance of the most approved and complete apparatus 
modern science and ingenuity can suggest, the exer- 
cises given being the natural outcome of an extended 
course of study, whereby we have been enabled to 
decide upon the simplest methods of physical training, 
specially directed towards strengthening weaker 



■►H 



portions of the body without fatigue or injury, usually 
with such success that the short term of instruction 
here has deepened many a sunken chest, or cured 
effectually any tendency to stoop. Instead, we find 
an elastic step, vigorous muscular action, and general 
indications of unimpaired vitality in every feature. 
When a pupil is sufficiently advanced in a cure of 
Stammering, and a desire is so expressed, lessons in 
Elocution are given, for which no additional charge is 
made. 

Some persons are pleased to assert that Stammering 
lies entirely in the mind ; while others, disregarding 
the mental aspects, will insist that the muscular action 
is solely at fault. Far be it from any desire of ours 
to enter into a discussion upon this matter, which 
might be never-ending and unprofitable ; but rather 
will we say that in the various cases placed under our 
care are noticed evidences sometimes of one view 
being correct, and, again, the other ; the majority, 
however, requiring exercises and instruction for the 
correction of both physical and mental faults or 
habits. A healthy physique is a favorable condition 
for strong and vigorous mental growth ; and as much 
depends upon the regularity of these bodily conditions, 
It has been one of our duties to point out errors, often 
needing but slight effort in correction, which, if allowed 



►i* 



38 THE SCHOOL OF THE VOICE. 

to continue, would materially undermine and injure 
the constitution. 

Here we have much to do with bringing about a 
change, and allotting to each particular member its 
respective function. Not only in respiration and actual 
audible speech do we find the need of reform, but a 
complete revolution in many other irregular move- 
ments is very often demanded. The fault of one 
person may be indistinct articulation, or that of another 
in respiration, while a third may include them both, 
thus requiring a selection of suitable vocal and phys- 
ical exercises, frequently both, having for their object 
the formation of new habits of speech and the correct 
position of speech organs to receive them. Our duties 
may sometimes be regarded as those of a physician, 
who strikes at the root of a disease, removing the 
cause, thus preparing the way for nature to resume 
control and restore health. 

Much of our practice during the pupil's stay is 
toward this end, and may be considered as a suspen- 
sion of improper habits and the acquirement of control 
over certain organs, that must be taught, as it were, 
how to act easily and naturally ; for when anything is 
done as nature intended, it will be easy ; but her laws 
cannot be long transgressed without difficulties arising 
on every hand. A most thorough study of the few 



*b 



► -^ 



THE SCHOOL OF THE VOICE. 39 

works upon this subject, and a careful observation of 
thousands of sufferers from speech defects, together 
with a knowledge of different methods advocated and 
practiced for their relief, have led us to most sound 
conclusions, 

A person can find a variety of opinions on this topic ; 
and unless possessed of a remarkably clear perception 
and fully competent to profit by the right ideas and 
consign the false ones to oblivion, marking out for 
himself an unswerving path of duty, he will be lost in 
a maze of contradictions and find himself hopeless. 
No mere system of our own can be put forth as the 
rule of our school, and we make no attempt to observe 
secrecy. On the contrary, as in building up a char- 
acter, we must absorb the good traits of those around 
us and eschew the bad ones, so, in our study of this 
subject, have we assumed an eclectic position, and by 
a like process of assimilating bright ideas of intelli- 
gent vocal and scientific authorities, succeeded in 
establishmg a means of cure which, like a good name 
or sunny disposition, sheds a brightness upon all with 
whom it may be associated. 

A person starting out in life afflicted with Stammer- 
ing, labors under many disadvantages, and is often the 
subject of unkmd reflections, the injustice of which 
only himself can possibh^ understand. It is the very 



■* 



* 



*t 



40 THE SCHOOL OF THE VOICE. 

bane of his existence, often causing deepest mental 
depression, and greatly against his chances of gaining 
any footing among the foremost ranks of either busi- 
ness or professional men. We do not make any 
pretensions to do a pupil's talking during his time 
here, but to show the way in such a manner that after 
his return home he feels a newly-found pleasure in 
taking advantage of every opportunity to talk where 
previously it was avoided. If young and attending 
school, the time spent is easily repaid, for an unfettered 
speech permits him not only to keep pace with his 
companions, but the mind that has been held in subjec- 
tion now springs up with astonishing vigor and out- 
strips them all. If of maturer years, and a person 
engrossed in the more sober duties of life, surrounded 
probably by the whirl of business, where the best man 
always goes to the front, he feels a confidence in his 
own powers that never before appeared, and often 
doubles his income in a short time, finding himself 
equal to any emergency, competent to grapple in better 
earnest with the greater problems of life or surmount 
the most formidable obstacles. Lack of confidence in 
his own powers is frequently an attendant upon the 
stammerer's affliction, and one of the greatest pleasures 
of a pupil's experience is the awakening of this essen- 
tial factor of human happiness. Only the one that is 



►i* 



THE SCHOOL OF THE VOICE. 41 

unable to freely express thought can know how insig- 
nificant he sometimes feels just on this account, and 
how he is compelled to suffer untold inconveniences, 
taking often a second place to give way to persons 
less plentifully endowed, although really superior to 
them in intellect and business capacity. There is no 
reason why a stammerer should remain in his condition 
if the matter be well and truly considered and he 
earnestly desires to be cured. Ladies are often our 
best pupils, seeming to grasp readily at new ideas, and 
derive much pleasure and benefit from the practice. 

It seems eminently proper that New York City 
should have been selected for the site of such an insti- 
tution as this, for abundant reasons. Although the 
distance some of our pupils are compelled to travel is 
great, and many requests have been made to the effect 
that we remove our school to Chicago, or elsewhere, 
still the majority of our pupils find it more convenient 
to reach the metropolis than any other point. This 
rapidly growing city, accessible from all points, pos- 
sesses features of interest to every visitor, and the 
time not spent in attending upon instruction or private 
practice may readily be employed with pleasure and 
profit at all seasons of the year. 



►j^ — ^ • ^ 



►f^ 



GENERAL REMARKS. 




CURE of Stammering means an advance 
in the direction of self-improvement, truly 
a most praiseworthy object, for most of us 
wish to appear well in the eyes of others ; 
and when we know that indications oi character are 
indelibly stamped upon our features and portrayed in 
the general bearing by our conduct in life, and that 
we have in our hands the means whereby to elevate 
ourselves, and failing to take advantage of these 
means we become stagnant and of no great benefit to 
any one, should we not bend every effort toward 
making ourselves and others happy by improving our 
condition as far as we can ? Who ever looks on 
Stammering as a blessing ? It is frequently so proven 
though ; and not only that, but other so-called evils 
are also shown to be decided blessings. Some amount 
of energy and determination is called for, and always 
will be, in fighting an obstruction ; but this very fric- 
tion brightens up the intellect and lends increased 
strength of will-power and decision to conquer greater 



► -4- 



■^ 



^ ^ 4^ 

GENERAL REMARKS. 43 

difficulties, a well-known principle that has been dem- 
onstrated in the history of great men time and time 
again when we have noted their struggles for an 
education and subsequent elevation to power and 
fame. 

We are apt to admit, after a few moments' reflection, 
that the power to produce correct and articulate speech 
is within ourselves, the trouble with the stammerer 
being stated by different authorities as an inability to 
make proper use of and employ these powers. As 
the force, whatever it may be, which compels fluent 
speech to vacate its throne is accumulative, so are the 
powers and agencies brought to bear in reinstating it ; 
and we are committing an error if we suffer them to 
pass by unheeded, or are even content to bestow upon 
them a passing glance, expecting thereby to fully 
comprehend them, and becoming disheartened and 
depressed if we do not. In order to bring ourselves 
to a thorough knowledge of the means for perpetu- 
ating fluent speech, it is not sufficient that we do this ; 
we must actually learn the principles by which speech 
is made, familiarizing the reason and judgment with 
every step of procedure in this direction. Looking at 
this one habit of Stammering, which, as every one 
afflicted knows, is by no means the most desirable of 
companions, we can see how the following principle 



^ 



•^-i 



44 GENERAL REMARKS. 

will apply directly. Every time an improper speech 
movement is made are the fetters tightened ; while, 
on the other hand, as soon as an easy manner of 
speaking has been substituted for the painfully diffi- 
cult one, a manner in strict accordance with every 
natural law of the body, every movement made under 
the new conditions is not only a pleasure but a step 
in the right direction, and a link of a new chain, in the 
construction of which all desire or tendency to stam- 
mer is lost. In considering these things we must 
recognize the fact that different parts of the body have 
a sympathy one with the other, deeper and more 
intricate than the ordinary human mind can conceive ; 
as far beyond our powers of perception are they as 
the outlines of the wonderful universe which surrounds 
us on every hand. Scientists have in their investiga- 
tions given to us some startling facts, such as meas- 
uring the speed at which an impulse of the will travels 
along the nerves and produces muscular action ; but 
the limit of discovery has not been reached, nor do we 
know that it ever will be. 

Two things for a stammerer to avoid are habits of 
depression or despondency, amounting sometimes to 
despair, and the patronage of any person who really, 
when traced down to the foundation, is really imposing 
upon good sense by ridiculous performances or advice. 



►"♦■ 



i 



GENERAL REMARKS. 45 

In the category of treatments to be shunned are 
secret methods, appliances, or those having for their 
basis some physical movement to accompany each 
syllable, as nodding the head, beating time with vari- 
ous members, etc. These are useless, and the writer 
will be pleased to reply to those desiring further 
explanations or advice by personal letter. That only 
one thought can enter the mind at the same instant is 
an idea depended upon by many pretending to cure 
Stammering, and a description of the different bodily 
contortions and other devices for distracting the 
stammerer's attention from the subject we con- 
sider entirely unnecessary. Advocates of the '^ Mind 
Cure " theory would follow their particular hobby ; 
but such a practice has given conclusive proof of 
insufficiency in the most favorable cases, and total 
failure in nearly all. Some of these methods may 
seem cheap, but too often do we see the result of a 
case of Stammering being almost confirmed beyond 
possibility of cure after such shameful impositions. 

To preserve a sound organization is a foremost 
thought in the mind of almost all intelligent persons ; 
and when the importance of this is understood, it 
should be the first duty of every one to guard against 
the approach of any unhealthy or unnatural habits of 
life which would tend toward impairment of the bodily 

' ! < ■ <i* 



► ^ 



46 GENERAL REMARKS. 



functions, physical or mental. Temperance in all 
things is advocated, but not necessarily abstinence ; 
rather would we have a stammerer watch closely to 
discover if any particular item of his diet results in 
injury or proves beneficial, and, introducing common- 
sense and strength of will, act in accordance with his 
true convictions. Habits are said to be bad or good, 
accordingly, as they result in injury to the person 
indulging therein. While the use of tobacco, for 
instance, may positively be a serious matter to one, 
another may suffer no apparent injury. The same 
may be said of such habits as tea or coffee drinking, 
or any of the long list of habits formed by custom or 
appetite. A person should be his own judge as far 
as he can, decide truly what injures him, and then 
have sufficient strength and self-respect to leave it 
alone. When at this condition of self-study, whereby 
he can look for causes and effects, directing personal 
effort toward strengthening and invigorating the 
system, he has proceeded far on a favorable road, 
which has for an ending pleasures as boundless as 
they are unalloyed. 

The rapidly growing habit of thought which places 
a person under the fear of certain ailments, or of 
their increase in malignancy, is to be deprecated, and 
should be avoided at the outset, as an aggravation of 



' I ' > I ' 



GENERAL REMARKS. 47 

the identical disease, existing probably only in the 
imagination, with which the thought is connected. 
Not the least affected by this process is the habit of 
Stammering, which is fanned from slowly slumbering 
embers into a fierce fiame, drawing extensively upon 
the vitality of the body for its support. Far easier is 
it to write this though, than for the average person 
to carry it out unaided. It is nevertheless a prin- 
ciple of action of no little importance. 

Injurious morbid thoughts, the result of misused or 
misdirected mental effort, are unpleasant at any rate, 
and we can frighten them off, or cause them to lose 
their terrors, by the introduction of opposing reflec- 
tions, busying ourselves with hopeful anticipations 
that, like the presence of an angel of light, will banish 
all spirits of evil. In the beautiful language of Dr. 
Johnson, " Happy are they, my son, who shall learn 
not to despair, but shall remember, that though the 
day is past and their strength wasted, there yet 
remains one effort to be made ; that reformation is 
never hopeless nor sincere endeavor ever unassisted, 
and that he who earnestly implores strength from 
above, and when the morning calls again to toil begins 
anew his journey of life, shall find danger and diffi- 
culty give way before him." 



■* 



< 



m 



tilSf^.^.'^Y Of" CONGRESS 




^:i^^ 




V 




